Pioneer Woman Blueberry Cornbread Mini-Muffins

These blueberry cornbread mini-muffins are made with yellow cornmeal, buttermilk, and dried blueberries, served with a vanilla bean butter. They have a real cornbread texture, not a light muffin one, with juicy pockets of fruit. They take about 22 minutes and make 24 mini-muffins.

Dried blueberries are the trick here, not fresh. They don’t bleed into the batter, and the heat and moisture plump them back up so they turn tender and juicy. That keeps the muffins looking clean instead of streaked purple.

The melted shortening gives the crust its crispness and that classic cornbread texture. You can leave it out and the muffins still work. Make the vanilla bean butter ahead, since it just needs the bean’s seeds stirred into softened butter.

Pioneer Woman Blueberry Cornbread Mini-Muffins

Author: Hamdi Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:American Courses:Blueberry Desserts

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesTotal time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

These blueberry cornbread mini-muffins pair a corn-heavy batter with juicy dried blueberries, served warm with a sweet vanilla bean butter. Real cornbread texture, not light and fluffy.

Ingredients

For the Muffins:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 cup buttermilk
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/4 cup shortening, melted
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 8 ounces dried blueberries

For the Vanilla Butter:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  
• 1 whole vanilla bean
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl.
   
2. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, egg, and baking soda, and stir. Add the melted shortening, stirring constantly. Stir in the vanilla, then the dried blueberries.
   
3. Pour into a greased mini-muffin pan, keeping the blueberries evenly spread. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.
   
4. For the vanilla butter: split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Stir the seeds and sugar into the softened butter until combined. Spread it into a ramekin and serve with the warm muffins. The butter can be made ahead and kept in the fridge.

FAQs

Why use dried blueberries instead of fresh?

Dried berries don’t bleed color into the batter, so the muffins stay clean instead of streaking purple. The heat and moisture plump them back up as they bake, so they turn tender and juicy inside.

Do I have to use the shortening?

No, but it gives the muffins a crisp crust and that classic cornbread texture. You can leave it out and they still bake up fine, just softer on the outside. Melt it before stirring it into the batter.

Why do these taste more like cornbread than muffins?

The recipe uses a corn-heavy batter built for cornbread texture, not a light and fluffy muffin one. That’s the point here. If you want the lighter, cakier kind, see my Blueberry Yogurt Muffins.

Can I make the vanilla butter ahead?

Yes. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, stir them and the sugar into softened butter, and keep it in the fridge until you need it. Bring it back to room temperature so it spreads on the warm muffins.

Should I double the recipe?

For more than three or four people, yes. These are small and disappear fast. The batter and the vanilla butter both scale up cleanly, so double everything if you’re feeding a crowd.